What does "guest" mean?
A recipient of hospitality, especially someone staying by invitation at the house of another.
Guest
/ɡɛst/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A recipient of hospitality, especially someone staying by invitation at the house of another.
- Grammar: guest is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: invitee, attend informally, attendee, attender.
- Useful contrasts: regular, admin, anchorperson.
- Usage evidence: She was pleased to be treated as a guest.
How to use "guest"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "guest" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "guest" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "guest" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "guest" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "guest" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "invitee" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "guest", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A recipient of hospitality, especially someone staying by invitation at the house of another.
"The guests were let in by the butler."
- 2 (computer science) any computer that is hooked up to a computer network wordnet
- 3 A patron or customer in a hotel etc.
"Guests must vacate their rooms by 10 o'clock on their day of departure."
- 4 a visitor to whom hospitality is extended wordnet
- 5 An invited visitor or performer to an institution or to a broadcast.
"special guest"
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 a customer of a hotel or restaurant etc. wordnet
- 7 A user given temporary access to a system despite not having an account of their own.
- 8 Any insect that lives in the nest of another without compulsion and usually not as a parasite.
- 9 An inquiline.
Verb
- 1 To appear as a guest, especially on a broadcast. intransitive
"During the '60s, he guested as off-beat characters on TV shows like "The Asphalt Jungle," "Bus Stop," and "The Detectives.""
- 2 As a musician: to play as a guest, providing an instrument that a band/orchestra does not normally have in its line up (for instance, percussion in a string band). intransitive
"Oldest son Trey, from Will's first marriage, paved the way for his sibling's stardom when he guested on his dad's hit rap album, Big Willie Style, lending some precocious dialogue to the beginning of "Just the Two of Us" and starring in the accompanying music video:"
- 3 To receive or entertain hospitably. obsolete, transitive
"Two Angels sent Two Heav'nly Scowts the Lord to Sodom sent ; downe , received and guested"
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
"The vote was 213-209 along party lines. Republican members of the House Ethics Committee – Michael Guest of Mississippi, Dave Joyce of Ohio, Andrew Garbarino of New York, John Rutherford of Florida and Michelle Fischbach of Minnesota – voted present. GOP Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado also voted present but he is not on the Ethics Committee."
- 2 A river in Virginia, United States, a tributary of the Clinch.
- 3 An unincorporated community in DeKalb County, Alabama, United States.
- 4 A visitor to any of the Disney theme parks
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"She was pleased to be treated as a guest."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "guest"?
Common synonyms include: invitee, attend informally, attendee, attender, board guests, caller.
How do you use "guest" in a sentence?
She was pleased to be treated as a guest.
How do you pronounce "guest"?
Pronounced /ɡɛst/.
Etymology
From Middle English gest, from Old Norse gestr, which replaced or was merged with Old English ġiest, both from Proto-Germanic *gastiz, from Proto-Indo-European *gʰóstis (“stranger, guest, host, someone with whom one has reciprocal duties of hospitality”). Cognate with Bavarian Gåst (“guest”), Dutch gast (“guest”), German Gast (“guest”), Luxembourgish Gaascht (“guest”), Vilamovian gost (“guest”), Yiddish גאַסט (gast, “guest”), Danish gæst (“guest, visitor”), Faroese, Icelandic gestur (“guest”), Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk gjest (“guest”), Swedish gäst (“guest”), Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐍃𐍄𐍃 (gasts, “guest”). Doublet of host, from Latin.